


Indelible

by whazzername



Category: Naruto
Genre: M/M, Tattoo Shop AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-03
Updated: 2019-12-03
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:07:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21654250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whazzername/pseuds/whazzername
Summary: A modern origin story for Gaara's tattoo.
Relationships: Gaara/Rock Lee
Comments: 15
Kudos: 119





	Indelible

A bell tinkled above the door as Gaara stepped into the shop and looked around. The walls on either side were covered in framed images of black-and-white and coloured designs ranging from collections of simple flowers to largescale, fantastical animals and demons. The sound of mechanical buzzing and rock music emanated from behind a wall that separated the reception area from the rest of the shop, a hand painted sign for Super Beast Tattoo sitting above the empty front desk in black brushstrokes.

Gaara stood at the desk awkwardly for a few moments before hesitantly calling out.

“Hello?”

There was the sound of commotion from behind the wall and a young man with a black bowl cut suddenly poked his head around the corner.

“I am so sorry! I did not hear the door!”

Gaara took a step back, startled at the young man’s volume as he jogged over to the desk. His bangs swished over his forehead as he moved, the toned muscles of his biceps flexing under his white t-shirt.

“How can I help you?” The man asked, a blinding smile stretching across his face. He had the whitest teeth Gaara had ever seen.

“Um, I was hoping to book an appointment with Sai Yamanaka.”

Gaara had been looking online at reviews for tattoo artists, and Sai’s name had been on multiple lists of the best in Konoha. Gaara had been drawn to the calligraphic quality of his pieces that seemed like it would work well with what he was hoping to get.

“Wonderful! Let me just see when his next available time is.” The man flipped through a dog-eared appointment book, thick eyebrows furrowing as he looked for an empty slot, the tip of a pink tongue poking out between his perfect teeth.

“Hmm, it looks like I could pencil you in for a consultation at 8:00pm on March 3rd!”

Gaara blinked. “That’s three months from now.”

“Yes, ever since the Buzzfeed video Sai has become extremely popular so unfortunately he is fully booked at the moment.”

Gaara deflated slightly. He’d been fully prepared to get a tattoo today but he should have known that a popular artist would have a waiting list.

“Ok, I guess put me down for March 3rd,” He said with a sigh.

“Excellent! I am sure it will be worth the wait!”

Gaara gave the enthusiastic man his contact information and punched the appointment into the calendar on his phone.

“So a consultation is typically half-an-hour. I would suggest bringing reference photos or other images if you have something very particular in mind, or Sai can create something original based on your idea if he decides he wants to work with you.”

“If?” Gaara asked.

“Yes, with the number of requests that Sai gets he prefers to only work on the ones that particularly speak to him.”

“Oh.”

“Can I ask what you are thinking of getting?”

Gaara pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and unfolded it to reveal the brushstroke kanji for ‘love.’

“I suppose it might be a bit too simple for him,” Gaara said, crestfallen.

“It is beautiful!” The young man said, giving Gaara a gentle smile. “Although Sai would probably suggest that you work with one of the other artists here for something of that level. I would be happy to do it for you if you would like! It would not take more than half an hour if you have the time now!”

Gaara considered for a moment. He had specifically chosen Super Beast because of Sai’s reviews, since if something was going to be on his body for the rest of his life, he wanted it done well. He’d been mentally psyching himself up to get it today, though.

Sensing his uncertainty, the man tried to reassure him.

“Sai would never let anyone work here that he hadn’t personally approved. He actually trained me himself!”

After a moment contemplation, Gaara finally agreed.

“Okay.”

“Wonderful!” The man said punching a fist in the air. “I promise you will be happy with the end result! I am Lee by the way!” He held out a hand for Gaara to shake.

“Gaara.”

“Come on back and we can get started!”

Lee led Gaara back through the shop, passing a window to a room where a man with long white hair lay on his stomach on a table, nude, but covered from neck to thigh in an intricate design of a samurai fighting a giant orange toad. A pale man with short black hair was adding colour to the swirling blue clouds on his buttocks, completely focused on his task as they passed.

Lee led Gaara into an open area at the back of the shop, gesturing for him to sit in one of the black, dentist-like chairs.

“Alright! Let me see that piece of paper again and I will make up a stencil!”

Gaara took a look around the room as Lee worked, noting the shelves lined with different coloured inks, jars of swabs, squirt bottles, and most unsettling, the line of hanging tattoo guns.

“Here we go!” Lee announced, producing a round of transfer paper with Gaara’s tattoo. “Where did you want it to go?”

Gaara put a hand on his chest just under his left clavicle, feeling his heart racing underneath in anticipation.

“How fitting!” Lee said with a smile. “If you could just take your shirt off, I will make sure it is exactly where you want it before we begin!”

Gaara reluctantly unzipped his hoodie and pulled his black t-shirt over his head, trying in vain to smooth his already tousled red hair. He shivered once his layers of clothes were off, partly from the chill, and partly from nerves. No going back now.

Lee snapped on a pair of black latex gloves and rolled over on a stool with the stencil, holding it up to Gaara’s collarbone.

“How is this? Higher? Lower?”

Gaara nodded, the heat emanating from Lee’s fingertips burning into his skin even through the gloves, a comforting contrast from the cool air of the room.

“You are lucky! Usually we shave the area before putting the stencil on but it does not look like that will be needed!”

Gaara flushed slightly, looking down at his bare chest. Other than on top of his head, he barely had any body hair. Even his eyebrows were unnaturally sparse, which only seemed to emphasise the dark circles around his eyes.

“Did you want to go with just black for the kanji?” Lee asked, carefully placing the stencil on Gaara’s pale skin and peeling the backing off.

“I was thinking red,” Gaara said, looking down at the symbol that would soon be permanently etched into his skin.

“It will match your hair!”

Lee began to prep a tattoo gun, fitting a long, sterilized needle into the tube and securing it in place. Gaara tried not to look at the multiple points at the end of it, or imagining it puncturing his skin.

“Is this your first tattoo?” Lee asked, hooking up the gun to its power supply and testing it with the foot petal, eliciting a set of sudden mechanical drones. Gaara nodded, eyeing the tattoo gun warily.

“Do not worry, I have been told I am very gentle, and we can stop whenever you want. I will do a small stroke so you can see what it feels like, okay?”

“Okay.”

Lee rested his fist on Gaara’s chest beside the stencil, his other hand gloved hand resting on Gaara’s sternum for stability as he leaned in with the gun. Gaara flinched as the needles pierced his skin, face scrunching involuntarily. It felt like someone was dragging a vibrating, burning hot sewing needle over his skin.

“How was that?” Lee asked. “Not as bad as you thought?”

“No, it’s fine, you can keep going.”

After the first few minutes the dull pain was moderately bearable and he went from staring at the ceiling to watching Lee work. While definitely uncomfortable, the pain wasn’t as intense as Gaara had originally imagined, especially with Lee leaning over him like that. With Lee’s face so close to his chest Gaara could smell his shampoo, a mix of something fresh and herbal that made Gaara’s face grow hot and try to focus on something else.

Lee was very precise, outlining the kanji strokes carefully before beginning to fill them in with shirt, shallow strokes. Gaara watched the muscles in his forearms tense and relax with each stroke, wiping Gaara’s skin every few moments to get rid of the excess ink.

“Isn’t it like, illegal for a tattoo artist not to have tattoos?” Gaara asked, indicating Lee’s bare arms.

“Oh I do! It is just covered by my shirt!” Lee exclaimed, stopped briefly to turn and lift the back of his t-shirt to reveal a claw and an undulating set of green scales with stylistic orange and red flames. “It covers my whole back but I cannot very well walk around shirtless here!”

Gaara begged to differ, his eyes roaming over the defined muscles of Lee’s back.

“It is the whole reason I started working here actually! I came to Sai to cover a scar from spinal surgery a few years ago and never left!”

“That sounds pretty intense,” Gaara said. “What happened, if you don’t mind me asking.”

“Oh, I do not mind! I was in a martial arts competition and took a nasty kick to my upper back that ended up fracturing my spine.”

“Shit, that sounds bad.”

“It was definitely difficult for a while. My entire left arm and leg were paralysed and there were bone fragments in my spine that needed to be removed.”

Gaara was shocked at how nonchalantly Lee explained what sounded like an extremely serious injury.

“There was a chance that the surgery could make it worse or even kill me, but I decided to take the risk and against all odds I am thankfully back to health and competing again!”

“You’re still competing?” Gaara asked incredulously. “Aren’t you afraid it will happen again?”

“There is always the chance that something will go wrong, but worrying about ‘what ifs’ is no way to live,” Lee said calmly, wiping down Gaara’s clavicle. “I got the dragon to remind me to always live with strength and passion, no matter the circumstances!”

Gaara considered Lee quietly as he continued to carefully outline the kanji. He had such an interesting face that Gaara had a hard time looking away. His large round eyes were ringed with thick lower lashes, offsetting his overly thick but well-shaped eyebrows, a small pout shaping his lips as he worked.

“So is there any particular meaning behind ‘love’?” Lee asked, looking up at Gaara suddenly.

Gaara quickly looked at the ceiling, his face colouring.

“You do not have to say if you do not want, I know tattoos can be very personal.”

Gaara contemplated not saying anything, it really wasn’t anyone’s business but his own, but Lee seemed so open and understanding that it made Gaara want to explain.

“It’s for my mother.”

“That is so sweet! Are you two close?”

“I never met her actually. She died when I was born and for my entire life my father told me that she had died cursing my existence.”

Lee looked up at Gaara, concern etched over his expressive face. Gaara knew he should stop there, that he was saying too much but something about the pain was cathartic and he couldn’t seem to stop himself.

“That, and the fact that my father seemed to feel the same way shaped a lot of my childhood. My father died recently, and on his deathbed he admitted that it had all been a lie. He said that he had been so heartbroken when my mother died that he had blamed me, and in reality, she had always loved me.”

Gaara paused for a moment, staring up at the ceiling.

“I wanted to get something as permanent and enduring as her love had been for me, even if I never knew it."

The buzzing of the tattoo gun stopped and Lee rubbed a forearm over his eyes.

“I am sorry,” He said through tears. “That is just so much you must have had to deal with as a child.”

Lee rested a gloved hand over Gaara’s hand. “I am so sorry you had to go through that, but I am glad I am able to help you now that you’ve found out the truth. It is a beautiful way to remember your mother.”

“Thanks.”

Lee shook his head, sniffing once before going back to work, the buzzing of the tattoo gun and the dull ache helping Gaara focus on the pain of the moment instead of how nice Lee’s hand had felt on his.

“Ok, it is finished,” Lee said, wiping the tattoo one last time to remove the excess ink and blood. “Did you want to take a look in the mirror?”

Gaara nodded, not wanting to look down at the mark just yet. He took a deep breath before getting up and stepping over to the full-length mirror on the wall. He didn’t know why he suddenly felt so emotional, it was just ink, but after spilling his guts to Lee he felt the burn of tears behind his eyes when he finally looked at his image, the red brushstrokes of the kanji forever etched over his heart.

“Is it…alright?” Lee asked, unsure as he stood nearby.

Gaara couldn’t seem to form words, so he just nodded as tears began to flow freely down his face. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d cried, but maybe it was the dull pain throbbing from the fresh marks that reminded him of all those times he had hurt in that same spot as a child, not understanding why no one wanted to be near him, that released something deep within him. So he let himself cry.

Gaara felt a warm hand grasp his, and for some reason he clutched at it desperately, uncaring that it was the hand of a complete stranger, just glad for the tangible reassurance that he had always needed.

Lee said nothing, letting Gaara hold on to his hand for as long as he wanted until the tears finally stopped and Gaara wiped at his eyes.

“Sorry,” Gaara said thickly. “I didn’t think it would be this intense.”

“I completely understand,” Lee said handing him a tissue. “It can be a surprisingly emotional process.” He gave Gaara’s hand one last squeeze. “Now why don’t we cover that so it doesn’t get infected and I can run you through the aftercare.”

Lee carefully covered Gaara’s fresh tattoo with a layer of petroleum jelly and taped plastic wrap over it, explaining that he should wash and apply antibacterial cream to it twice a day after that for the next two weeks.

Gaara pulled his t-shirt and sweater back on, the sensitive area on his chest a warm reminder of his little secret. Lee followed him back out to the reception area, but when Gaara reached for his wallet Lee shook his head.

“Please, it was my pleasure! I am just glad I could help with something so meaningful!”

“You can’t be serious? Won’t you get fired for giving free tattoos?”

“Sai occasionally does tattoos for free under special circumstances, do not worry about it!” Lee said, beaming. “Besides, how could he get rid of this face?”

He did have a point there.

“Are you sure there is nothing I can do to thank you?” Gaara asked, surprised that an attractive guy would do something so nice for him, and even more surprised at what came out of his own mouth next. “Would you want to, I don’t know, get dinner or coffee some time? If you want?”

A flush spread across Lee’s nose but it was followed quickly by a smile. “Dinner would be great!” He fumbled around for a pen, hastily scribbling something on the back of the store’s business card.

“Give me a call for dinner, or if you have any questions, or anything really! But dinner definitely!”

Gaara couldn’t hide his grin at Lee’s sudden fluster, it was pretty adorable, and only made Gaara’s heart beat faster under his new tattoo. If he was lucky, maybe the symbol on his chest would stand as a reminder of both the past and the future.


End file.
